The tiny Pacific islands nation of Kiribati declared the world’s largest marine protected area on Feb 14, a California-sized ocean wilderness that includes pristine reefs and eight coral atolls teeming with fish and birds.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, or PIPA, lies about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji. [AP]

PIPA was the world’s third largest marine protected area before the Government of Kiribati announced the expansion of the boundaries of the protected area on Jan 28, 2008… which now encompass an area of 410,500 square kilometres. [Phoenixisland]

Red Tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, or “bloom”. These algae, more specifically phytoplankton, are microscopic, single-celled protists, plant-like organisms that can form dense, visible patches near the water’s surface.

Certain species of phytoplankton contain photosynthetic pigments that vary in color from green to brown to red, and when the algae are present in high concentrations, the water appears to be discolored or murky, varying in color from white to almost black, normally being red or brown.

Not all algal blooms are dense enough to cause water discoloration, and not all discolored waters associated with algal blooms are red. Additionally, red tides are not typically associated with tidal movement of water, hence the preference among scientists to use the term algal bloom. [Wikipedia]

The king penguins lay their eggs in late November, with a peak around mid-December. They don’t build nests – instead the male and female of each mating couple take it in turns to incubate a single egg on their feet over the course of two months.

Mount Etna (also known as Mongibeddu in Sicilian) is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily. It is the largest active volcano in Europe, and is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The volcano is not generally regarded as being dangerous, and thousands of people live on its slopes and in the surrounding areas.